As we observe Victory Day

It is a remembrance of freedom's dawn yet once again. We stand on the threshold of the forty second year since achieving independence in the expectation that the goals for which we went to war against the Pakistan occupation army in 1971 will have come to fruition. It may well be argued, and with justification, that four decades and more are long enough a period for a nation's objectives to be attained. And yet, as we observe Victory Day today, we cannot but be assailed by the sad thought that all too often in all this time, our aspirations as a people have been rudely ridden roughshod over. If it has been extra-constitutionalism which has subverted our democratic hopes, the inability of democratically elected administrations to provide good governance to the nation has stymied our dreams of a just, equal society based on transparency and accountability. It is these thoughts --- and more --- which must be our predominant concern today.
But for all the worries about the nature of politics we have seen dominate the state, there are the positive aspects of life which have given Bangladesh a distinctive flavour, of a kind that cannot but impress the world outside our frontiers. In the field of culture, our drama and music, based on a heritage going back a continuum of time, have created a distinct niche for themselves. In the world of writing and aesthetics, authors have emerged in refreshing droves of creativity, to convince us that this nation remains a symbol of poetry and story-telling, much as it has through the ages. In the economic arena, despite the negative politics which has kept our spirits low, there has been progress across an entire sectoral spectrum. Our garments, in spite of recent tragic incidents, whether organized or accidental, have given the national economy a strong foundation. Abroad, our men and women have worked terribly hard in various countries, sending home hard-earned remittances that have helped their families and given the national economy a certain spurt.
On Victory Day this year, therefore, our expectations tend to rise a little higher given what we have achieved so far. The most significant of those expectations concerns the nature of our politics. For Bangladesh to redeem the pledge it made to itself back in 1971 --- of ensuring a secular, democratic and egalitarian society for all its citizens --- it is important for its political classes to come together in order to build a consensus on pluralistic, accountable governance for the future. Politics must return to being the art of compromise, away from the spectre of tribalism it has been turned into.
That is the least we can do to honour the three million of our compatriots murdered by the enemy in 1971. And it is what we certainly will need to do if we mean to leave a land of happiness and prosperity for our children.